Wis. Fire/EMS Chief Dies After Responding to Call

Brooklyn Fire and EMS Protection District Chief Phil Mortensen died Saturday afternoon after responding to a call according to a news release from the department.

Mortensen, 67, had been a member of the department for 42 years and its chief for the past 38 years, according to the news release. He was also a lifetime resident of Brooklyn and owner of Mortensen Auto in the village of Brooklyn, Wis. He was also instrumental in the establishment of Brooklyn EMS which provides emergency medical care to residents in the surrounding area.

The department said that by the definition of the U.S. Fire Administration, Mortensen’s death will be considered a line of duty death because it occurred within 24 hours of responding to a call. The U.S.F.A. had not listed Mortensen in its line of duty deaths as of Sunday afternoon.

The U.S.F.A. had not listed Mortensen in its line of duty deaths as of Sunday afternoon.

The department’s news release did not say the cause of death, but some news agencies are saying it was cardiac related.

According to Mortensen’s obituary, on file with Gunderson Funeral Home in Oregon, Wis., his funeral will be held on Saturday, Dec. 29 at the home at 11 a.m. Visitations will be from 10 until the time of the service on Saturday and from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 28.